Production of nonyl alcohols and esters thereof



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FRED DAN SSXOLILNSOALISOOSIA OLLVWBNIX BYZ ATTORNEY United States Patent PRODUCTION 0F NONYL ALCOHOLS AND ESTERS THEREOF Fred Dean, Norton-on-Tees, England, assignor to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Application July 31, 1956, Serial No. 601,214

8 Claims. (Cl. 260-475) This invention relates to the production of 3,4,4- and 4,5,5trimethylhexanol1 and to their esters, and is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 240,615 filed August 6, 1951, now abandoned.

According to a feature of the present invention trimethylhexanols-l in which the three methyl groups are attached to two consecutive carbon atoms are produced by reacting trimethyl pentenes-l or -2 in which the three methyl groups are in the 2,3,3- or 3,4,4- positions with hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of cobalt as catalyst in the liquid phase under superatmospheric pressure and at elevated temperature and hydrogenating the resulting aldehydes. The resulting alcohols may be separated by fractional distillation. Suitable hydrocarbons comprise 3,4,4-trimethylpentene-l or 3,4,4-trimethylpentene 2; and 2,3,3 trmethylpentene l. 4,5,5 -trimethylhexanol-l is obtained from each of the rst two olelines; and 3,4,4-trimethylhexanol-l from the last mentioned olefine.

As a further feature of the invention these olenes may be separately prepared, for example, by fractional separation, and carbonylated to give the corresponding substantially pure aldehyde, and thelatter hydrogenated. A suitable catalyst to employ for the hydrogenation step is copperon-zinc oxide or copper-on-chromia, and it is preferred to decompose metal carbonyl and expel carbon monoxide from the carbonylation product, e. g., by treatnient with hydrogen, before hydrogenating to the alcohol. in the carbonylation step it is preferred to employ a soluble cobalt catalyst such as cobalt naphthenate, acetate, hexahydrobenzoate or trimethyl hexanoate.

Suitable reaction conditions for the carbonylation step are 130 to 190 C., preferably 150 to 175 C., and 200 to 300 atmospheres gauge: and suitable conditions for the hydrogenation step e. g., 250 C. and 240 atmosp heres gauge.

lf it is desired to produce each of the aforesaid alcohols in substantially pure form, one may start from individual octene fractions which have been obtained by precision distillation of mixed oleiines, obtained for example by cracking of petroleum or by the dimerisation of lower oleiines obtained, for example, by the dehydrogenation of parains. Alternatively, mixed olenes may be employed and the resulting alcohols may be isolated by precision distillation. However, precision distillation tends to be costly and Afor many commercial uses mixed alcohols aresuit'able'. Hence there is also included within the scope. of the invention 'a process for the production of mixtures of 'the aforesaid trimethylhexanols-l from mixed octenes.

The alcohols are of value as anti-foaming agents and as intermediates for the production of plasticiser esters, the corresponding octadecanols, thiocyanates (useful as insecticides), ethers and amines (useful as surface active agents).

r Patented May 14, 1957 It is believed that the aforesaid two alcohols are novel compounds and their characteristics are given in Table 1.

III" being the vapour pressure in mms. of mercury at absolute temperature Valuable esters such as sebacates, adipates and maleates may be produced from these novel alcohols and` are usev ful as plasticisers, synthetic lubricants, penetrating oils, indicator uids, brake iluids. The sebacates especially are of value as components of synthetic lubricants. The normal phthalates of these alcohols, which are believed to be novel, are of particular value since they have viscesities considerably higher than di-3,5,5trimethy1hexy1 phthalate. These phthalates are particularly useful as plasticisers for polyvinyl chloride. By the term normal ester is meant in this specification one in which all the replaceable hydrogen atoms of the acid are replaced by alkyl radicals; and by the term mixed ester is meant an ester in which the replaceable hydrogen atoms of the acid are replaced by different alkyl radicals.

The novel phthalates may be produced by standard methods, such as, for example, heating the 'alcoholv with phthalic anhydride in the presence of a hydrocarbon solvent, e. g., toluene, and of an acid catalyst, e. g., sulphuric or an organic sulphonic acid, and in the substantial absence of water, e. g., by removing the latter as a heterogeneous azeotrope with the hydrocarbon. They are, however, preferably prepared by the method described in British specification No. 667,109.

The improved properties of these novel nonyl phthalf` ates over other phthalates such as di?:,5,5-trimethylhexyl phthalate or di-3,4,5trimethylhexyl phthalate, especially their high viscosity, is well brought out in Table 2 which also gives a number of their more important characteris t1cs.

If desired, mixed esters or complex mixtures of such mixed esters may be used and the properties of one such mixture of 4,5,5-trimethylhexanol-l, 3,4,5-trimethylhexano1-1 and 3,4,4-trimethylhexanol-l phthalates is shown under item 4 in this table. By phthalating a mixture of specific alcohols, normal esters containing desired dif-- fering alkyl groups can be produced. All these estersI have higher viscosities than the normal ester of 3,5,5 trimethylhexanol.

Table 2 Sap. Refrac- Den- Viscosity, No. Ester Value. tive sity, at 20 C. ings. Index, 11,2 Centie KOH nl. poises 1 Di8,4,4trimethylhexyl 267 1.4932 0.9951 I L353 phthalate. 2 'Di-3,4,5-trimethylhexyl 267 1.4920 0.9740 ,167'

phthalate. 3 Di-4,5,5trimethylbexyl 267 1.4900 0.9803 221 phthalate. 4 Phthalate from mixtiueof 267 1.4890 0.9822 172 1, 2, aud 3 in proportions a. '45: 30:25. 5 D1-3,5,5trimethylhexy1 v267 1. 4825 0 969 96 'I phthalate. 'l 6 Dl-2-ethylhexylphthalate. 287 1.4858 96 As already mentioned the sebacates, that is the didensed mixture was separated into twolayers in the desebacates, especially are of value as synthetic lubricants. canter and the alcohol rich layer was returned to the Their value is brought out by the data given in Table 3, column. which shows also exactly comparable data for the di- Reaction was complete after about hours and the sebacates of 3,5,5-trimethyl hexanol-l and of 2 ethyl 5 residual mixture was tiltered, washed with 0.4% aqueous hexanol which a-re accepted as high quality lubricants, caustic soda, and then with distilled Water. The washed and those corresponding to U. S. A. Air Force Specicaester was subsequently steam distilled to remove excess tion MlL-L6387 (Lubricating Oil Synthetic Base). The alcohol and was dried with sodium sulphate. data for 2-ethyl hexanol disebacate and for MIL-IP6387 The ester, which was substantially pure di-4,'5,5tri (Lubricating Oil Synthetic Base) are taken from the methylhexyl phthalate had the characteristics given in pamphlet entitled, Emery Esters for Synthetic Lubri- Table 2 of this specification. cants, issued by the Development and Service Department EXAMPLE of Emery Industries Inc., Cincinnati, issued in October 3 1951 .Y T o a mixture of 331 gms. of 3,4,trimethylhexanol1 ob- T able 3 Viscosity in'centistokes at Refractive Index Density Compound or specification 42 40 70 100 130 170 210 mi m25 3,5,5-trimethyl hexanol disebacate 34. 2 18. 8 2-ethyl hexane] disebacate-. 1, 410 12. 6 MIL-L-GBS? (l'iubricatiutf7 Oil Synthetic Base) (35) (17.7) 3,4,4-trimethyl disebacate-.. 57. 5 28. 7 4,5,5-trimethyl hexariol disebacate 50. 5 25. 9

These data are graphed in the accompanying iigure and tained by carbonylating 2,3,3-trimethylpentene-1, and 460 prove that the improvement in viscosity characteristics grams of toluene, contained in a glass reaction flask and shown by the disebacates of 3,4,4-trimethyl hexanol-l and precooled to 0 C. was gradually added drcpwise 053ml. 4,5,5-trimethylhexanol-l over the other compounds or of 98% sulfuric acid to serve as esterication catalyst. lspecifications is highly signicant and that the novel di- 202 gmsof sebacic acid in powdered form was then Sebacates `are improved lubricants and lubricant comintroduced into the mixture, the ask was i'itted With a ponents of great value, decanter/reflux assembly, and heat was applied to bring The invention is illustrated by the following examples. the liquid to the boil.` Heating was continued, whereby i Y EXAMPLE 1 esteriiication proceeded and the watenliberated in the reaction was continuously removed in the refluxing frCiOIl liCil in 3iifli't'imehyipeniell Obiaiiled by 40 toluene. The temperature averaged 120 to 125 C. and precision fractional distillation of Csi-116 hydrocarbons prothe estericaiion was Completed in about 2 boum duced by ih@ dimefisdiioii 0f deilydfogeiated mixed bu' The crude ester was cooled and washed with N/ 10 @DGS Was Cafbdiyidied in d Chrome Steei YeaCiOl' in the aqueous caustic soda used in a slight excess over that coriiclilid Pildse di 250 atmospheres gauge and i0 i705 responding to the free acidity of the product. After re- C- With d 33S having il @01H2 1`2-ii0 0f 253 Sing COiDit moval of the excess caustic soda and of the sodium salts napiithenaie as C'ddiysi and d iiqiiid Space VeiOCiil 0f 0-5 by extraction with warm Water, the neutral product was iil? 0f Oieiiii@ Per iiife 0f fedCiiGIl Space Per hol-1f' steam stripped to remove the excess alcohol.

The CdfbOiil/iaiioi PfOdilCt Was Stripped 0f Carbon m011- After drying over anhydrous magnesium sulphate there oxide and cobalt carbonyl was decomposed by treatment was Obtained 433 gms' of di(3,4744rimethy1hexy1)- With hydfgen, and it W25 then iii'fed The filtrate Was 5d sebacate, which was substantially pure: it had the characilydfdgdied ai 25 C- and 250 atmospheres gallge GVG? teristics given in Table 3 of this specification.

a copper-on-zinc oxide catalyst. The resulting crude alco- Claim;

i101 WaS dried, filtered and subjected i0 Precision frac' l. As a new chemical substance, 3,4,4-trimethylhexational distillation according to the method described in HOLL British Pen NO- 573,309, Using a i6" X i" diameter 55 2. As a new chemical substance 4,5,5-trimethylhexacolumn packed with gauze rings and a reflux ratio of 01-1,

80:1 While approaching rangesof constant boiling point 3 AS a new Chemical substance di(3,4,4 trimethy1 and a reux ratio of 40:1 while in ranges of constant boilhexynphthalae f ing point.

The fraction boiling at 202.4., C. and having n 2o 6G 1 4. As a newchemical substance d1(4,5,5tiimethyl D nexyDphthalate.

1.4406 was crude 4,5,5-trimethylheXanol-l. On refractionating this material there was obtained substantially 5 Asanew hmlcal substalice amember selected from pure 4,5,5 trimethy1haxauol 1 having a boiling point of the group consisting of 3,4,4-trimethylhexanol-l and 4,5,5- 202 C. and D20 @f1.4390. trlfnellhexanvlld f th t, f th ur ester se ecte rom e group consis ing o ev Y EXAMPLE 2 e) diphthalate and normal s'ebacate esters of 3,4,4-trimethyl- 4,5,5-tri'methylhexanol-1 wasV reacted with phthalic ani hexanol-l and 4,5,5-trimethylhexanol-1. hydride in the molar ratio 3:1 in the presence of 2% of finely divided active alumina calculated on the weight of the alcohol. The reaction mixture was refluxed at #-9 to 210 C. in a boiler provided with a condenser and y' decanter and the Water formed in the reaction was entrained and removed in the excess of alcohol. The conof 3,4,4-trimethylhexanol-l.

8. As a new chemical substance, the normal sebacate of 4,5,5-trimethylhexanol-l.

No references cited.

7. As a new chemical substance, the normal sebacate 

5. AS A NEW CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE, A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 3,4,4-TRIMETHYLHEXANOL-1 AND 4,5,5-TRIMETHYLHEXANOL-1.
 6. AN ESTER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE DIPHTHALATE AND NORMAL SEBACATE ESTERS OF 3,4,4-TRIMETHYLHEXANOL-1 AND 4,5,5-TRIMETHYLHEXANOL-1. 